


Destiny

by Impala_Cherry_Trickster



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragonlord Merlin (Merlin), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Hurt Morgana, Magic, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Pining, Redeemed Morgana (Merlin), Screw Destiny, Secrets, She's trying to kill Arthur, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:48:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22911232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Cherry_Trickster/pseuds/Impala_Cherry_Trickster
Summary: He had been fated to kill Morgana for such a long time, but he knows he cannot do it. Now, his only chance is to convince her that, together, they can become something better.
Relationships: Merlin/Morgana (Merlin)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 180





	1. Chapter 1

He’d never seen such malice, or heartbreak, in one person. Merlin couldn’t help but feel desperate, just as desperate as Morgana must feel as she held the blade to Arthur’s neck, fully ready to kill him. All this time, Merlin had hidden his Magic, but now, with Morgana in front, he knew he couldn’t. Because, as much as Kilgharrah warned him he would have to kill her, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Morgana may be dangerous, but deep down, she had a good heart. A heart that didn’t want to hurt Arthur.

‘Morgana…’

‘He took EVERYTHING from me!’ The sword shook, pressing down and drawing the slightest tint of blood, Arthur’s eyes wide and panicked. His wrists were chained, a rag in his mouth to stop him from talking. For that, Merlin was grateful.

‘I know, but Arthur isn’t Uther. He can change.’ He took a step closer, ignored the Knights that were chained and bloody, from a building almost collapsing on them. He could reach her, he had to, he could make Morgana see what she was doing wouldn’t help.

‘Every day, they murder my kind. I want to be free, to have this burden gone!’ Her green eyes were wide, filled with the tears that she couldn’t spill, lips trembling with every word. One person, so distraught and hurt. One person, who he hadn't saved. All this agony, resting on his shoulders.

‘I understand, Morgana…’

‘How could you? I’m all alone, cast out by my own Father!’ It had to hurt, the betrayal, the lies. All her life, she could have had a proper family, a loving Father. But Uther was cruel, turned her into nothing more than a Ward, a Lady, not the Princess she deserved to be. And, not only that, but her Magic.

‘You don’t have to hurt him. You don’t have to hurt any of them.’ Merlin’s Magic begged to be released, to reach out and protect Arthur from harm. This was, after all, his fault. If he had killed her, then this wouldn’t have happened. He understood the pain, the loneliness, the belief that he could be worth more.

‘I cannot be good, Merlin. This is my destiny.’ Destiny, the one word that Merlin had heard again and again, that he was sworn to save Arthur and unite Albion. But what did it matter, in the moment where the woman he had grown to love was standing, ready to kill his closest friend? What did it matter, when he would lose everything, just to see Magic restored to Camelot? He was tired of seeing people die, of the pain that he caused, just because Destiny declared it.

‘You know how that ends, Morgana. With your death.’ The very thought of having to kill her, of running a blade through her, or worse, using Magic to kill her, tore him apart. How could he do that, see the light fade from those vibrant green, now turned manic? To watch the woman he loved die, because he had been to cowardly to save her?

‘Emrys may kill me, but Arthur will die too.’ And wasn’t that the truth of it? Emrys, Merlin, left alone in a world with no Arthur, no Morgana. He had only one option, to tell Destiny that he didn’t care for it, to rewrite every rule that ever existed. He felt his eyes turn golden, heard Arthur’s surprise and the Knights gasp. This reveal had gone through his head a hundred times, in a hundred different ways. But never like this, never with everything hanging on this one act of defiance.

‘Morgana, don’t make me kill you. I don’t want to be the only one left. I can’t.’ The tears spilled down her cheeks, the disbelief clear on her face, his statement hitting her just as he hoped it was. If there was one thing Morgana could understand, it was how lonely this life was.

‘You… you betrayed your own kind!’ How many had been sent to the Pyre, because of Merlin? How many had he had to kill, in the name of protecting Arthur. Merlin found his own shoulders shaking, the anger and sadness raging inside.

‘For Destiny, for my duty to make Arthur King. But I can’t do it, not anymore, not when it means killing you.’ He hoped that, deep down, there was something in her that recognised his pleading tone. The silence between them spread, Morgana turning the sword so it pointed at him, Arthur being shoved back to where the Knights were chained up. He heard it, the storm outside, could feel the Magic in the air as she took a step closer, the blade gleaming in the low light.

‘I can’t go back.’ Despite the words, she sounded unsure, face showing the hopelessness of the situation they were in. The walls were beginning to shake, tiny fragments of rock falling to the ground, and he knew that he didn’t have long to convince her. That if he couldn’t, he would lose everything.

‘Neither can I. But we can go forwards, Morgana. Together.’ Lightning, thunder that rattled across the skyline and rain that lashed down outside the broken temple they were in. Water was already leaking through the roof, dripping down the walls as Morgana’s eyes glowed a bright yellow, power that Merlin didn’t want to fight.

‘You don’t know what it’s like, to be evil.’ Hissed, spat out like she resented every inch of her being, and Merlin took another step forward.

‘How many of my own kind have I killed, to see Arthur safe? How many people have I let die, because I cannot show who I am? Morgana, I gave up everything for Camelot.’ He didn’t realise how true the words were until they tumbled from his lips, angry and harsh, desperate to make her see that she wasn’t alone. That together, they could stop this. Could screw Destiny, and everything it stood for.

‘I always knew that you’d be the one to kill me, Emrys. The greatest sorcerer to ever walk the Earth.’ She said it with spite, like it was a gift to be burdened with power that he did not want, a Destiny he could never hope to fulfil.

‘I’m not going to kill you. I didn’t then, I won’t now. No more, Morgana.’ He let the Magic hit him, cried out as she struck into him with pain, anguish, all the suffering that she felt fuelling the spell. It ached, burnt out his insides, but he would not fight her. Not even as he dropped to his knees, onto the strangely-sodden floor, looked up at her. The sword pressed into his throat, and his breath hitched.

‘Fight me.’ A demand, one he would not meet. Emerald eyes unsure, so lost, floating in the sea with no way to land. Lost, but not unable to be found.

‘I won’t. Magic doesn’t have to be used for evil. You can change.’ He felt his skin break, his Magic sinking down into the depths of his bones. He would not die, even if she ran the blade through him, he could not die until his Destiny was complete. Whether or not she knew this, he did not know.

‘I don’t know how.’ He was slow with the movement, didn’t want to spook her. He muttered the words under his breath, watched as the light filled his palm, a bright blue. It spread, danced out across the floor, and he focused again.

Morgana moved back, lowering the sword, but Merlin didn’t move from his knees. She watched the blue light race around the room, a smile that he couldn’t help but fall in love with, before she reached out for it.

‘It won’t hurt.’ He promised, gentle, coaxing. She gasped as it settled, danced around on her skin, before it changed. Swirled a green colour, became alive, formed into a tiny butterfly.

‘It’s beautiful.’ Whispered, while she watched the butterfly take to the sky, flitting around in the broken room. In that moment, her head tipped back and her dark hair spilling over her shoulders, he could see the Lady his heart pined for. The one his Magic wanted to protect, despite her destiny.

‘I can show you so many things, Morgana.’ He would have someone to share this burden with, someone that could understand the pain he was in. The High Priestess looked to him, the guilt and the sadness returning.

‘I’m supposed to kill him.’ She looked to Arthur, as did Merlin, who had been trying to avoid such a thing. He feared what he would see, the judgement in his eyes, but instead, he found only confusion. A lost King, stuck in a situation that he could not control; A lost Lady, with a Destiny that would tear her apart.

‘Do not make me choose between you.’ He was close to begging, down on his knees, for her to see what he did. The light, the choice they could make.

‘Why ae you doing this, Merlin? Why not kill me?’ He remembered the night in the Castle, when she clung to him and cried as he tried to console her. The nightmares had been awful, and nothing could quiet her, she felt like she was becoming a monster. It was probably then, Merlin figured, that he realised he loved her. The way that she was so adamantly good, had tried so hard to protect them all, and was falling victim to the secret of Magic. He held her, knowing he should go and fetch Gwen, unable to stop himself from comforting her.

‘There’s another way.’ It wasn’t what he wanted to say, not the praise she deserved, but Merlin was a coward. From the way she barked a laugh, he knew it was not the right thing, so he swallowed down his pride and looked up at her.

‘I won’t kill you, Morgana, because I don’t think I could ever live with myself if I did. I won’t hurt the people I love.’ She fell silent, watching him with wide eyes, the storm still raging outside. Her fingers released the sword, which fell to the floor with a clatter, before taking a step towards him, towards the path he offered.

‘I cannot promise anything.’ Again, the unsureness returned, the fear of not being enough. How awful it must have been, to be raised under Uther, to have no say in a future. To never quite be enough.

‘You’ve already given me everything.’ Merlin promised, slowly standing up to stare at her, to find the anger seeping away, melting into the timid smile that she offered.

‘My magic has a mind of its own, it may hurt you.’ Still so nervous, still so scared. Merlin let his eyes turn golden once more, spoke the words that stilled the storm, that stopped the rain. Her Magic did not protest, did not try to fight him.

‘As does mine, but I assure you, we’ll find a way to make this work.’ He offered out his hand, gave her the chance she needed. An option, to step away from Destiny, to screw everything and anyone that had ever told them differently.

She was Morgana Pendragon, High Priestess of the Old Religion, the one destined to bring about Arthur Pendragon’s death, to be slain by Emrys.

He was Merlin, Emrys, the Last Dragonlord and the most powerful Warlock to roam the Earth, one half of the coin that would unite Albion, and fated to kill Morgana.

As she took his hand, neither of those statements made that much sense anymore.


	2. Blue Butterfly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, although it might not be what you expected

‘Huh.’ Merlin agreed, cocking his head to the side.

‘I expected more.’ The words broke the silence, the two staring at their joined hands.

‘As did I.’ Morgana agreed, before bursting into tears. It was hardly unexpected, and Merlin pulled her in quickly, wrapped arms around her and wished he had done this sooner. All these years, he could have been keeping her safe, stopping the heartbreak that he was listening to now. She clutched to him, Magic seeping out into the ground, and Merlin watched in amusement as the previously bare ground began to bloom. Grass, sprouting out, flowers that wiggled out from between the blades.

‘Morgana, look.’ She stepped back, eyes red-rimmed, before a puzzled look crossed her face. Merlin watched her expression carefully, before she turned to the group of still-tied Knights.

‘Arthur.’ Morgana took a step, like she wanted to help him, the froze. Merlin understood, moved past her and let his eyes glow, removing the chains that bound them. Lancelot was the first up, the least surprised considering he already knew, accepting Merlin’s hand and pulling him in for a brief hug.

‘Thanks.’ Merlin nodded to the Knight, hesitantly looked across to the King, who was blankly staring at him. Expressionless, not quite, a hurt in his eyes that echoed out as he looked away. The others were getting up, dusting themselves down, seemingly unsure how to deal with Morgana, who stayed in the corner of the room.

‘Morgause is still outside. She won’t let me leave.’ That, Merlin could deal with. Powerful as Morgause may be, she was nowhere near the power of a Warlock, not if he could call upon his power properly. Considering he didn’t have to worry about Arthur finding out, because the King now knew, he didn’t have to hide.

‘I won’t let her touch you.’ Merlin didn’t mean to make the words sound like a growl, but he had only just recovered Morgana, he wasn’t going to lose her again.

‘Anything I can do?’ Lancelot stood by his side, looking out of the building. Morgause was a threat, she would be waiting to kill them, and the Isle of the Blessed was not exactly the best place to be stuck.

‘Wait till Morgause is distracted, then get Morgana to the boat.’ Merlin moved to leave the broken building, found Lancelot grabbing his arm.

‘How do I know when she’s distracted?’ A High Priestess, fighting a Warlock? Oh, he’d know. Lancelot’s face showed he understood, because he glanced to Morgana, who was watching Merlin cautiously.

‘She’s strong.’ Morgana warned, like he didn’t already know that.

‘So am I.’ He didn’t need to brag, not when Morgana knew. She hesitated, before gripping his shirt like before and tugging him closer. He might have been surprised by the lips that hit his, but he adjusted quickly, kissed her back despite how brief it was. When he pulled back, her eyes were glowing golden, so he presumed his might be as well.

‘Stay with Lancelot. And whatever happens, don’t come back.’ Morgana knew the risks of angering the old religion, she would heed his warning even if it hurt her to leave him. Merlin turned back, looked to the crumbled ruins, took a deep breath.

‘Merlin.’ Oh, what now? He then realised who had spoken, spun to find Arthur focused on him.

‘You better come back. It would be hard to find a manservant as bad as you.’ He could have cried in joy, actually felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes. He threw a cheeky grin, more relieved than he could ever remember.

‘Who else could deal with you being an idiot?’ And with that, Merlin left the building.

**

Morgause was terrifying. She stood there, knowing perfectly well that she was going to try and kill him, while Merlin walked towards her. The storm was returning, but he was pretty sure that was him, not her.

‘Merlin.’

‘Morgause.’ Would Morgana forgive him, if he killed her half-sister? Then again, she had been ready to kill her half-brother, so family was slightly confusing for a Pendragon. Merlin knew this wasn’t going to go well, watched her eyes glow and narrowly avoided the falling building. Right, there wouldn’t be any small-talk then.

**

Lancelot figured that the building falling was his sign. He moved from the doorway, gripping the sword tightly and leading the group out of immediate danger. Morgana followed, until the pathway they were walking down began to move. Literally, the slabs beneath his feet began to move.

Words were whispered from behind him, and he turned to see Morgana’s eyes glowing. He had to trust that Merlin knew what he was doing, that he could trust the Lady. The floor stopped moving, which was good, and he progressed forwards. Just as they caught sight of the boat, a loud explosion sounded, the group turning to find the scattered ruins crumbling inwards. Towards Merlin.

His instincts told him to go back, to find Merlin and make sure he was okay. From the thunder rumbling overhead, and the lightning that came dashing down across the sky to the centre of the rubble, he really didn’t want to get into that mess.

‘He’ll be okay.’ Morgana remarked, brushing past him to the boat, summoning it forth like she could control it. Well, for all he knew, she could.

‘Do we wait?’ Lancelot asked her, and Arthur, looking between them. The Pendragon siblings were yet to speak to each other, and so he was surprised when they briefly shared a glance at the question.

A voice pierced the noise of the falling ruins, words that Lancelot couldn’t understand, shouting that sounded like Merlin. He went to move towards it, he couldn’t let the man die after everything he had done, but Morgana’s hand closed over his. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, trying his best not to attack.

‘We go, now. Merlin’s summoning the Dragon.’ He didn’t want to ask, figured it was safer not to. Instead, he trusted that Morgana was on their side.

**

Merlin thanked Kilgharrah, moved across to where the Knights of Camelot were very wearily eyeing up the Dragon. He could understand why, but he had needed the assistance in that moment. Morgana moved closer, breaking away from the group to greet him. Her eyes scanned over the bruising, the cuts from fighting Morgause, and she healed them with a quick brush of her hand.

‘Are we going back to Camelot?’ She asked, and he could tell what she was saying. Could they go back, could she return.

‘Tell me to leave, and I will.’ If she wanted him to leave Camelot, he would. The people would never forgive her, wouldn’t trust her magic, he didn’t see a way to help her stay. Morgana was smiling, although it was a sad smile, and he already knew what she was going to say before she said it.

‘Go, Merlin. Back to Camelot, where you belong. I think it’s time I explore the world a little.’ So, after all this, Morgana was going to leave. Merlin wanted to argue, to tell her that she could come with him. That he’d lost so much already, and the last thing he wanted was to lose anyone else. His mouth opened, the words ready to spill, but nothing happened. Instead, Morgana briefly leant in, kissed him, then stepped back.

‘Protect Arthur. And, when you’re ready, you can call for me.’ Merlin looked past her, to the King he was supposed to protect, to help unite the lands of Albion. Destiny, that he had already screwed over for the woman in front, and now she wanted him to leave her?

‘I’ll find a way.’ A way to do both, to serve both his Destiny and his heart’s affection for Morgana. She smiled, reached to the front of her dress and pulled something out, took his hands and placed her bunched fist in them.

Slowly, she uncurled her fingers, and the blue butterfly from earlier sat there, perfectly content, glowing slightly. Merlin gave her a watery smile, understood everything she couldn’t say, before turning to the Knights of Camelot.

His time would come.

**Author's Note:**

> Would you guys want a second chapter?


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